Library As Platform
Scope
Traditionally, the library was a collection of content and services in a physical location – selection, acquisition, curation, access, and preservation services, as well as direct end-user support and education, were all in one place. That’s still the case for print and other physical items, even as libraries increasingly embrace collaborative collection development and sharing networks. In the digital universe many, if not most, of those functions have moved online - to content and aggregator platforms, to discovery services, and to digital preservation services. The contributors to this webinar will discuss the implications for this shift, including how librarians and platform vendors should engage to ensure the best service for users — the ultimate stakeholders.
Confirmed speakers include: Daniel Griffin, Ph.D. candidate, UC-Berkeley School of Information; Dracine Hodges, Associate University Librarian for Collections Services, Duke University; Alex Humphreys, Vice President, Innovation, ITHAKA; and Emily Singley, VP, North American Library Relations, Elsevier.
Event Sessions
Roundtable Discussion
Speakers
Todd Carpenter, Executive Director of NISO, will moderate the discussion.
The discussion by participants touched on the following:
Let’s first start by discussing what we mean when we think of a library as a platform. From your perspective, what does that term mean for you?
Platforms have their strengths and weaknesses. If we think of a library as a platform, what strengths does that imply?
And weaknesses? What are the unintended consequences of thinking of the library in those terms?
If one considers a library as a platform for the institution and for its users, what does that imply? How can we draw analogies with other platforms that an institution might stand up?Are there functions of a library that challenge this view of what a library is, such as print collections or special collections?
Like every platform, what are the points of failure in a model of libraries as platforms?What are the benefits to the institution of viewing the library in this way?
In what ways are collectives of libraries or content providers different (or are they) from individual institutions?
Over the past decade, a number of platforms have taken on traditional library roles/services, such as Google Scholar for providing search. How should libraries consider their roles in these services?
Are there implications of this changing ecosystem for users, such as privacy?
In what ways are patron expectations changing in this new platform environment regarding the user experience? How does a library deal with this when they don’t/can’t control that user experience?
What are models for governing these platforms, be they internal to a single organization or many others?
What are the trends that are driving or inhibiting this development?
Resources
Shared by an attendee:
NISO RP-27-2019, Recommended Practices for Improved Access to Institutionally-Provided Information Resources: Results from the Resource Access in the 21st Century (RA21) Project - This document, NISO RP-27-2019, details the findings from the Resource Access in the 21st Century initiative. It provides recommendations for using federated identity as an access model and improving the federated authentication user experience.
Additional Information
NISO assumes organizations register as a group. The model assumes that an unlimited number of staff will be watching the live broadcast in a single location, but also includes access to an archived recording of the event for those who may have timing conflicts.
NISO understands that, during the current pandemic, staff at a number of organizations may be practicing safe social distancing or working remotely. To accommodate those workers, we are allowing registrants to share the sign-on instructions with all colleagues so that they may join the broadcast directly.
Registrants receive sign-on instructions via email on the Friday prior to the virtual event. If you have not received your instructions by the day before an event, please contact NISO headquarters for assistance via email (nisohq@niso.org).
Registrants for an event may cancel participation and receive a refund (less $35.00) if the notice of cancellation is received at NISO HQ (nisohq@niso.org) one full week prior to the event date. If received less than 7 days before, no refund will be provided.
Links to the archived recording of the broadcast are distributed to registrants 24-48 hours following the close of the live event. Access to that recording is intended for internal use of fellow staff at the registrant’s organization or institution. Speaker presentations are posted to the NISO event page.
Broadcast Platform
NISO uses the Zoom platform for purposes of broadcasting our live events. Zoom provides apps for a variety of computing devices (tablets, laptops, etc.) To view the broadcast, you will need a device that supports the Zoom app. Attendees may also choose to listen just to audio on their phones. Sign-on credentials include the necessary dial-in numbers, if that is your preference. Once notified of their availability, recordings may be downloaded from the Zoom platform to your machine for local viewing.
Event Dates
–
Fees
Note: As a benefit of their membership, NISO member organizations have automatically received access links to the recording of this webinar. Non-member registrants would also have received that information. If you did not receive that information, please contact NISO HQ for assistance.
Reminder: Please note that although NISO does maintain storage space on Zoom for archived recordings of events in the current and previous calendar year, we strongly encourage you to download archived event recordings to your own local storage space to ensure that you can continue to access them.
If you missed this virtual event but would now like to purchase access to the recording, please contact NISO HQ directly for assistance in registering.
Location
Timing shown for this event is Eastern Daylight Time. All NISO events follow the practices of the Eastern Time Zone (US & Canada).